


At the Edge of the Storm

by Fallingtowardsoblivion



Series: Amelia's Merlin Bash [2]
Category: Arthurian Mythology & Related Fandoms, Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1970s, Alternate Universe - Prostitution, American AU, Drabble, Drinking, Gangster Arthur, Hurricanes & Typhoons, M/M, Mafia AU, Sad, Storms, Tragic Romance, edge of the storm, prostitute merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 03:46:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6499564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallingtowardsoblivion/pseuds/Fallingtowardsoblivion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: the edge of the storm</p>
<p>Finally cornered, mafia tycoon Arthur and his lover Merlin share their last fleeting moments together before the oncoming storm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the Edge of the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> er, horrible summery right there. This is just another drabble for my Merlin bash. (It might be a day late, we don't talk about that though.)

 

Merlin found Arthur on the deck, lounging in one of the plastic chairs, tie loose, shirt unbuttoned, tumbler full of whiskey in hand.

Faintly in the distance thunder rumbled, mingling with the sound of waves hitting beach.

Arthur was slouched back, the hand holding the glass faintly swaying. His eyes, as far as Merlin could tell from where he stood in the doorway, were fixed on the sea – the sprawling, Atlantic ocean and turbulent, angry water – and the incoming storm.

He stood a moment more, clad only in his bathrobe, watching Arthur fall apart. Silently, secretly, nobly.

Arthur was strong – his father’s son for certain. A man of action, a man of power and a man of the Mafia. But he was also just a man, like any other, who could only do so much for so long before the clocks ran out on him.  

Arthur had always been clean – immaculate, really. He had tied loose ends, had destroyed all evidence afterwards. He had power, he had blackmail material. Hell, he had gotten out of his Vietnam draft. He was untouchable, an American god.

But then Arthur Pendragon’s world had changed, suddenly and without remorse, when Merlin waltzed in. Impulsive, beautiful, innocent and fucked by the world, Merlin was everything Arthur was not, and completed the gangster in a way he didn’t know he needed.

Yet at the same time, he also became a liability, and, being a prostitute, an unwanted one, too. Well, unwanted in the eyes of everyone save Arthur.

But there was a reason Arthur had made Merlin a secret, kept man.

 “What are you thinking about?” It was soft, but Merlin’s voice managed to carry over the growing gale.

Arthur didn’t turn, not even when Merlin laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Instead, the gangster eyed the storm before him, the winds just beginning to whip up the palms surrounding the couple’s beach house.

“Funny, isn't it?” He said after a moment, his words slurred, his eyes never leaving the natural fury approaching.

“What is?”

“How the pieces fell. How the hand was dealt. How the cards were laid.”

Merlin paused, not certain if Arthur was speaking more to his lover or himself. Maybe both. Maybe neither.

He bit his lip, moving his hand, soft and gentle, up to cup the side of Arthur’s neck.

“I know you're scared,” Merlin murmured, his thumb making slow circles on Arthur’s skin. The man in question snorted, bringing the tumbler back to his lips and taking a gulp.

“No, Arthur. Don’t be a prat right now. Not now,” Merlin sighed, finally moving to block out the storm in front of them – behind him, now. He held Arthur’s face in his hands, forcing the older man to meet his eyes.

Arthur stared back at him, his eyes cloudy with drink and sorrow, his face creased and aged from the past few months. They had been getting closer, their net closing as Arthur’s grip began to loosen. Then it all came to a head. Cenred, Nimueh, Morgause… even Uther had been taken in, just this morning.

The untouchable had silently fallen.

Well, all save Arthur.

At least, for now.

Gwaine had called, frantic and panting, not hours ago. They had him, the game was up. Arthur was caught.

It had been a fantastic chase, Arthur had been the perfect criminal –

But now? Now it was done. Over.

And so he had grabbed a tumbler, filling it to the brim, carrying along the bottle of alcohol anyway.

And so he sat, now, at the edge of the storm. Waiting.

Merlin gave him a soft smile, brushing back the hair on his forehead. “I know you are scared, my love. I am too. But let it be known, I will never, _ever_ leave your side. Not now, not ever.”

Arthur’s eyes watered and he turned to carefully take Merlin’s hand, kissing his palm before holding it in his own. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Merls.”

Merlin choked out a chuckle, something too close to a sob for his own liking.

“I don’t think either of us deserved this.”

And then he withdrew, coming back a moment later with his own plastic chair, reaching down to grab the forgotten bottle next to Arthur. Popping the cap off, Merlin took a big swig of the burning liquid, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand once done.

A silence fell, then, only broken by the sound of the surf and a periodic, faint thundering. The couple was waiting, statues, seated at the beginning of eternity, at the edge of the storm.

And there they waited.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like'd it! Feedback is always welcome! :)


End file.
